MASG chapter 64

 

Xia Yu was still sitting on the hospital bed; the air around him was filled with the faint smell of medicine. There was also a hint of blood; not a strong smell, but when the two scents reached Xia Yu’s nose at the same time, he rubbed the tip of his nose in irritation, feeling extremely uncomfortable. He hated this smell — when he was disassembled as a child, it was this exact smell.

But now, this smell also meant something else.

There must have been heavy casualties in this operation.

Xia Yu couldn’t ignore this premonition. He had sensed it before he lost consciousness. Even now, while still feeling dizzy, he closed his eyes and lay back on the pillow. His whole face was pale, as if washed clean. Sweat kept dripping down his temples. He pulled out the needle embedded in his skin; the glucose solution had almost finished, leaving behind an empty glass bottle.

Mo An and Mi Dou must have gone out to discuss the matter.

Xia Yu sighed heavily and glanced at the ward door, waiting for them to return.

When they returned to the ward, Mi Dou and Mo An chatted casually, as if nothing had happened. Neither of them mentioned the plan from earlier. According to the doctor’s orders, Xia Yu had to stay overnight for observation and could only leave the next morning. In the evening, they waited until Xia Yu had finished dinner before leaving. The moment they stepped out of the hospital, Mo An and Mi Dou resumed discussing their plan, no longer able to hold back.

“Will it really work?” Mi Dou asked eagerly.

“We have to do it.” Mo An pointed towards the holographic screen on top of the building ahead. “Look, the news is already out.”

The massive screen was large enough for people in several nearby blocks to see it. Even those who didn’t want to watch it couldn’t ignore it.

[This morning, a violent monster attack occurred in the southern suburbs of Qingyao City. The security forces have eliminated all of the monsters, and the Control Center has officially taken over. In this incident, a total of 11 people were killed, three were seriously injured, and five were lightly wounded. Residents are advised to avoid the suburbs for the time being. Please follow up on later news reports for more information. No organization has claimed responsibility.]

The news showed the moment just before the giant bug fell. Due to the drone’s shooting angle, Mo An’s figure appeared blurry. When the bug hit the ground, everyone on the street who was looking at the screen gasped sharply. Yet, none of them realized that the person on the screen was standing right beside them.

Mo An put on the lower half of his mask again, hiding his face. His silver hair was eye-catching enough; he didn’t want more trouble.

“With such a huge commotion, it’s obvious the higher-ups want someone to take responsibility,” Mi Dou said, finally understanding that Xia Yu was that person.

“I know those people’s methods too well.” Mo An put his gloves back on. “They’ll pressure Yan Xia first. She’ll be the first to receive the message. Then Silver Fang, because Silver Fang is Xia Yu’s guarantor. They’ll keep going one layer at a time until everything falls on Xia Yu’s head. I don’t want him going to court for no good reason and facing a bunch of interrogations.”

The two walked forward together. There seemed to be only one road left for them.

Finally, Mi Dou stopped. They truly only had one option: to get Xia Yu “out” first. “Mo An, let’s do this. Then we’ll take Xia Yu and expose the mastermind behind all this. We’ll clear his name. I don’t want him to go to court either. If he’s framed, he’ll definitely be sentenced. I don’t want him thrown in prison.”

“Then let’s do it.” Mo An gave a thumbs-up.

It was easy to say, but Mo An predicted that the moment they left the hospital, the higher-ups would send people to guard Xia Yu’s room. However, he didn’t want to hide this operation from Yan Xia and Silver Fang because he couldn’t hide it anyway. Yan Xia’s office was already in the upper-level zone. With his work badge, Mo An walked in freely.

He was practically being welcomed. The Control Center held the highest authority here.

“Yan Xia, are you in there?” Mo An knocked on the door.

“Come in.” Yan Xia was sitting at the desk with her long legs clad in boots stretched forward. As Mo An entered, he first saw Silver Fang sitting on the sofa. He nodded in greeting. “You’re here too?”

Silver Fang was clearly angry. “Did I bring you to the Control Center just so you could come back and show off to me?”

“I didn’t show off that much, did I?” Mo An simply sat down on the sofa. Now, he had the right to talk to Silver Fang face-to-face. However, he still respected Silver Fang greatly. “Are you angry? Who upset you?”

Silver Fang didn’t deny it. “Isn’t it obvious that I’m angry?”

Mo An kept his face turned toward Silver Fang, but he observed Yan Xia standing nearby out of the corner of his eye. “Did you two watch the news?”

Yan Xia was extremely frustrated as she discussed with Silver Fang how to handle Xia Yu’s situation. It seemed there was no way to turn things around. All signs pointed toward the person in charge. Was the massive casualty list due to Xia Yu’s negligence? Why did things go wrong the moment he tried to capture someone? Ma Jiayuan was already dead—who could testify on his behalf?

They believed Xia Yu, of course, but not everyone did.

“You’ve already guessed, haven’t you?” Yan Xia said, not bothering with riddles. “Tomorrow at 5 a.m., someone from above will come for the handover.”

“Handover of what?” Mo An asked.

“Xia Yu,” Yan Xia replied. “Temporary detention. Responsibility will be assigned after the investigation concludes.”

Mo An took a bullet out of his pocket and tossed it back and forth, playing with it. “I knew it. But let me tell you first—you don’t need to worry about Xia Yu. Don’t touch him.”

“Quite the attitude, kid,” Silver Fang snorted. He had predicted this. Earlier, he had told Yan Xia that Mo An would probably show up tonight.

Yan Xia didn’t speak. She lowered her head and stared at the detention order and transfer documents in her hands. If Xia Yu was truly entering the process, the deaths tied to him wouldn’t be just one. Everything would be piled onto him. Once he left their protection and was transferred into someone else’s jurisdiction, though…

“Why would Nuwa approve this?” Mo An suddenly asked. “I want to speak to Nuwa.”

His meaning was clear. Nuwa was omnipotent, so how could there have been no warning about this mutation? The Sky Eye surveillance was everywhere. Why was Xia Yu being blamed alone?

“I’ve already contacted Nuwa. She said that temporary detention is necessary and that responsibility will be determined after the investigation. Besides, this matter is related to the Machine Almighty Church. Someone may be trying to use this opportunity to promote other sects.” Yan Xia accurately relayed upper management’s view. Then she shifted her tone. “What do you think?”

So that means there’s room to negotiate, Mo An forced down his irritation and asked calmly, “Are you going to help me or not?”

Silver Fang ran a hand through his hair in despair. Great—he never should have asked. Now, the kid was about to shake the world again, wasn’t he?

Yan Xia gave a vague answer. “We can’t convict Xia Yu right now. Before his official temporary detention tomorrow morning, no one can prove his connection to the incident. I don’t have the authority to restrict his personal freedom. You understand that, don’t you?”

“I understand.”
Joy flashed across Mo An’s face. A bright grin broke through his earlier gloom.

“But be careful,” Yan Xia warned bluntly.

“Careful about what?” Mo An asked directly.

“Everything.” Yan Xia nodded slightly. She wasn’t going to stand by and watch Xia Yu get sent to prison. Besides, before she made a move, Mo An would never sit still and wait for disaster. This bug-mutation incident was strange; no one could obtain detailed data, yet the higher-ups were rushing to find someone to blame. Xia Yu was likely going to be the scapegoat.

“I will,” Mo An said, lightly tapping the table—his way of saying thank you.

Meanwhile, Mi Dou was talking to Mi Lian. “Mom, I need a big favor.”

That night, Xia Yu slept restlessly. He was sure the IV fluids contained calming agents, yet he kept having lucid dreams about Ma Jiayuan: his greedy obsession with Xia Yu’s body, his arrogant gaze looking down from above, his almost sickening physical reactions, and those last few shouted phrases.

Yehuai is coming!

The Apocalypse is near, the knights are descending! The second knight is already here!

Suddenly, Xia Yu jerked awake with a kick. It was still pitch-black outside. He looked at the digital clock by his pillow: 3:12 a.m. The hallway wasn’t completely quiet, either. He could hear footsteps pacing back and forth continuously.

Were they there to watch him?

He wasn’t sure. But those people were definitely here for him. When the time came, they would probably rush in. After thinking it over and realizing he couldn’t fall asleep anyway, Xia Yu picked up the paper and pen from the bedside table and started writing. He drew two clear lines of thought.

The first line: That Day.

When Mo An hatched, the fishmen had mentioned “that day.” Ma Jiayuan had brought it up, too. What exactly was supposed to happen on that day? Why did it drive them insane?

The second line: The Knight and Yehuai.

If the second knight had arrived, who was the first? What did “knight” symbolize? Was it related to the doctrine of the Mechanical Omnipotence Church? What role did Ma Jiayuan play in this incident? What exactly was the “Blooming Project” he mentioned?

The two lines were now clearly written on the paper—seemingly unrelated yet secretly intertwined and spanning over a decade. Just as he was thinking, voices sounded from outside the door. Xia Yu listened carefully. Why was Mo An speaking?

“This is my ID.”
Mo An handed his Control Center badge to the guards at the door. The higher-ups had acted quickly; surveillance on Xia Yu had already begun.

The guard glanced at the badge and immediately saluted. “Commander Mo An, sir—how can we assist you?”

“I’m here to take his statement. The higher-ups are rushing us—you know what I mean.” Mo An tapped the ceiling. “If we waste time, you won’t be able to afford the consequences.”

“But…” The guard hesitated. “We haven’t received any notice from the Security Unit. We can’t bring him in for questioning.”

Mo An calmly produced a Security Unit order. “Captain Mi Lian already signed it.”

“Really?” The guard took the document and scanned it with a precision device. The instrument confirmed that these were indeed Mi Lian’s handwritten signatures, leaving no room for forgery.

“It won’t take long. In twenty minutes, we’ll be done.” Mo An pointed behind him. “This is the interrogation officer. We’ll come out together.”

The guard studied the interrogation officer carefully, then nodded to let them in.

Xia Yu couldn’t hear their exact conversation, but after a few brief words, Mo An came inside.

“Are the people outside watching me?” Xia Yu asked.

“Don’t waste time. I’m here to take you out,” Mo An said, getting straight to the point.

Xia Yu’s heart skipped a beat. “To do what?”

Their voices lowered instinctively, making the atmosphere even tenser and more urgent. The “interrogation officer” behind Mo An stepped forward and removed his hat.

“You need to leave this place.”

“Xiang Xing?” Xia Yu sat up. “Aren’t you supposed to be on a mission?”

“I came back early. I returned the moment something happened to you this morning.”
Xiang Xing’s face shifted back into Xia Yu’s. “Silver Fang is waiting for you at the docks. You’ll take the sea route—just get out of Qingyao City first.”

“But…but…” Xia Yu stared at them in shock. “Taking me away without authorization is a serious offense! Are you all insane?”

“Mhm-mhmm, yes, yes, yes, I’m insane,” Mo An nodded perfunctorily. “Can’t you tell? In a crisis like this, you’re definitely going to be sacrificed. Yan Xia and Silver Fang have already received orders. In about an hour, you’ll be transferred to another city. We might not see each other again for the rest of our lives.”

His words were painfully clear, and Xia Yu believed every one of them. “But this incident involves too many forces. Mo An, I know how you feel, but you can’t handle things this way.”

Mo An replied calmly, “I’m not human. I’m a fish.”

“You—” Xia Yu looked at him, thinking he was losing his mind. “Fine, but no fish acts like this.

“I’m not a fish.” Mo An continued, perfectly calm. “I’m a mermaid.”

“You…” Xia Yu was speechless.

“Xia Yu, just listen to us for now. I’ll disguise you so that you look exactly like me. Then, you can walk out. I’ll pretend to be you and stay here for a few hours. Then, I’ll slip away when no one is looking. We’ll meet outside.”
Xiang Xing stretched out his hand, and countless mycelial threads crawled across Xia Yu’s face, forming a new layer of “muscle.” In a short time, Xia Yu’s face became identical to the interrogation officer’s—impossible to detect.

“But what if this implicates everyone?” Xia Yu knew exactly who must be involved. Mo An wouldn’t have come unless he’d gone through Yan Xia, Silver Fang, and probably Mi Lian—who definitely would involve Mi Dou. If responsibility was traced down, it would be a disaster for the entire team.

“There’s only one way to avoid implicating everyone,” Xiang Xing said decisively. “Xia Yu, go out there and find out what really happened. Once the truth is revealed and your name is cleared, none of us will be punished. Mi Dou and the others will help you. I will too.”

“What about Nuwa? There’s no way I can escape her tracking.” Xia Yu glanced at the camera. Even their current conversation should be known to Nuwa.

Ling Shi suddenly spoke from his wristband.

[With me here, don’t worry.]

Xia Yu almost jumped. “How are you—”

[Don’t worry. This escape operation includes me. Mo An and Mi Dou discussed it with me earlier in the Mid-Levels. I contacted Jingwei as well. Now, I have access to 50% of the wristband’s functions. I’ll help as much as possible by taking over the electronic systems along your escape route. I’m currently monitoring the cameras. Xia Yu, before Nuwa catches me, you must uncover the truth behind the entire incident. Otherwise, we’re all doomed.]